The 2011 Goals List

Pretty, huh!

It’s the only moment I love about these little gems!  And I spent as much time going out to look at them as much as I could.

Which was not very much time at all this year.  In only one overnight’s passing - they went from this…

To this.  And they just keep getting thicker - and whiter - so much sooner and faster than before.

They have - once again - come even closer to being those Bradford Pear trees that I - totally - despise.  Ohhhhhh, how I want them gone!

But that will be a Priority that rides low on the Totem Pole.

Somehow - I get the feeling Mother Nature’s trying to give me a hint about some fun she’s planned on having with us.

The rain and the cold days have been falling mostly on rounds of days off.  Gorgeous weather in between - while Dwayne’s at work - of course.

The problem is the dirt.  We can’t touch it.  Too wet.

Makes me wish I had a blow-up toy of the middle finger to put out in the yard.

I know.  I’m being ugly.  I’m going to Hell.

We are managing to get a few other loose ends taken care of while waiting for Mother Nature to get bored with pissing all over us.

We put our 2011 Goal List together.

There is so much to take into consideration - especially this year.  Economics and penny-pinching from every aspect of our lives has to be melded.  We’re having to look around corners - and all the way into 2012.

Believe it or not - Priority comes before anything else.  Here’s our list.

For the Garden -
Mushroom Compost
Electric Fencing ( That damn squirrel WILL NOT be getting the corn anymore ! )

For the Chickens -
Sturdy netting and posts to give us the ability to range them in various and larger areas with the Chicken Tractor.

Rabbits -
Building Rabbit Hutches for ourselves.
Buying Rabbits for breeding to fill the freezer.

For the Barn -
The old Tobacco barn gets torn down - relocated - and rebuilt to make better efficiency of the property.

Cows -
Shelters built in planned pasture areas.
Electric Cross-fencing
Depending on time - a couple of cows for the freezers.

A new Car -
Saving up for a down-payment to get a new Cross-over SUV that gets wonderful gas mileage.  It's time for me to concede.  My little 1991 Geo Prism - " Putt-Putt " - is beginning to decline in her infamous ability with envious gas mileage.  And the 19.3 mpg in the truck isn't feeling too nice right now - especially when it's making a 66-mile trip per day to the airport.

At this time - Dwayne says it’s costing us around $200.00 per month in fuel for him to drive back and forth to work in the truck.  Our goal is to park that 2002 Dodge ¾ ton Ram Diesel - and use it only for absolute utility.

However - if we were to buy a new car at this time - we’d be putting out more money for the monthly payment and full-coverage insurance.

That would take away needed money for all the other projects.

The sooner we deal with the garden - the sooner we grow our own food to put away.  We save at the grocery store.

The sooner we deal with the chickens - the more eggs we’ll get and less chance of losing them to illness.  We save at the grocery store.

The sooner we get rabbits going on this place - the sooner I’ll be able to stop buying chicken at the grocery store.  ( I know - some of you don’t get that, huh.  It really does taste just like chicken ! )  Again - we save at the grocery store!

The sooner we get the barn dealt with - the sooner we’ll have stalls.  We’ll be able to set up a fenced area for goats at a later date.  We’ll be able to focus on cows.  We’ll be able to store hay. 

And everybody knows - being able to raise your own grass-fed cow for the freezer is gonna save you loads of cash at the grocery store!

Our own eggs - I’m now baking our own breads and snacks.  Pretty soon we’ll have our own … rabcken ?? - for the freezer.

By the time we get to the cows - we’ll be " high on the hog ! "

NO.  I haven’t managed to talk Dwayne into raising a hog for the freezer - yet.

He says we already have one.

Any input for persuasion would be greatly appreciated!